Yes, Trae Golden was the closest thing Tennessee had to a point guard.

And yes, Golden played that vital position for the Volunteers this season, averaging 12.1 points and 3.9 assists for a team that finished 20-13 and tied for fifth in the fairly squishy Southeastern Conference this season.

But no, losing Golden to transfer—he said he’ll be eligible to play elsewhere this fall—is not calamitous for the Vols.

Tennessee will field one of the nation’s most powerful frontcourts next winter, with Jeronne Maymon returning from injury to rejoin Jarnell Stokes, as well as developing scoring star Jordan McRae in the backcourt. All of that offensive talent will be of less value if the playmaker in charge of the team either can’t or won’t get those guys the ball.

There’s some debate regarding which category best describes Golden, but it’s one of the two. Although he only 38.3 percent from the field last season, he tried eight more shots than Stokes. Although Golden shot only 29.5 percent from 3-point range, he still attempted 95.

He produced 12 games of two or fewer assists as a junior, including none in the Vols’ embarrassing NIT home loss to Mercer. Decision-making has not been the strongest area for Golden.

“I had a great three years here at Tennessee, but I plan to play my senior year somewhere else this fall,” Golden said in UT’s release. “I really appreciate the staff and all the great support from Vol fans. I’m definitely going to miss my teammates. I want them to have nothing but success in the future.”

The Vols do not appear to have an obvious answer at the moment to replace Golden, but they did land five-star guard recruit Robert Hubbs out of Newbern, Tenn.

“We want nothing but the best for Trae,” Vols coach Cuonzo Martin said. “Everyone associated with our program wants to see him be successful, and we wish him well.”